Starway
by Pennies101
Summary: A Twilight-esque story. Tyler: Average human boy. Michelle: Not-so-average Vampire Immortal. The two meet at Yamhill-Carlton high school, and so begins a tentative romance, that soon turns into a much more complicated one. Please read! First fan-fic.
1. Preface

_Author's Note: Hi! This is my first 'fanfic', so please be nice. _

_First of all, it's not really a fanfic, since it has nothing to do with Twilight. It was merely inspired by Twilight, and has Vampires in it._

_Second, I already have more than 200 pages written by hand, and the story will be updated whenever I have time to type it out._

_Thank you so much for looking at this, and I'll understand if you don't follow with the story. ^^_

Preface

Have you ever looked up at the sky when it was night time? Have you ever seen one of those ultra-bright stars that would twinkle and shine more than the other ones?

If you have, then you've seen a dead Vampire's soul.

To be undead in the first place can be good or bad; it all depends on the Vampire. But once a Vampire does die- as much as it can, anyway- its soul finds the way up to the stars, and then, the Vampire is truly at peace, no longer caught between two worlds in which it can't fit in anywhere.

There are a lot of myths about a dead Vampire's soul. Some say that if you spot one and make a wish, it will come true. Others say that misfortune will come your way if you look upon a Vampire's soul.

The truth: Vampires don't mean any harm. They're not evil. Their souls aren't black and wretched. They can't help the way they are, just like a wolf can't help itself from feeding on small animals.

Vampires are beautiful, strong, and wise. But there are people- humans- who resent them for that. Because of that reason, Vampires are scarce today.

Although there are some pretty bad Vampires who drink blood incessantly, is it right that humans base all their assumptions on those few crazed ones?


	2. Chapter 1: Michelle

_Author's Note: Hi! This is my first 'fanfic', so please be nice. _

_First of all, it's not really a fanfic, since it has nothing to do with Twilight. It was merely inspired by Twilight, and has Vampires in it._

_Second, I already have more than 200 pages written by hand, and the story will be updated whenever I have time to type it out._

_Thank you so much for looking at this, and I'll understand if you don't follow with the story. ^^_

_The story is 100% mine, but, like I said, inspiration from Twilight. _

_Please review! Thanks. xD_

Michelle

I saw the deer a few yards away, its tail flicking back and forth. It could sense danger.

I was the danger.

Turning my head slightly, I saw my brother Lucas already chasing an elk. He didn't look too enthusiastic about it. I didn't have to read his mind to know that the entire family would be going out tonight for an extra feast.

Luke noticed my gaze and stopped in his tracks to look at me. He was impatient for me to finish feeding so we could get home.

_Can you hurry up? _He complained to me through our mental connection. He was bored of hunting already, even though we'd only been out for a few minutes. I told him that with my mind and he gave an audible grunt in response.

I sighed and turned back to the deer. It was still on the alert for danger, frozen in a state of awareness.

"Luke, you can leave if you want." I spoke out loud, too weak from my diminished feeding habit to use my mind connection. Even though Luke was more than a hundred feet away, I knew he would be able to hear my voice.

_Nah, I might as well stay, _he said indifferently in my mind. He sounded a bit weird though, but I didn't have enough strength to search his mind. _Quit stalling,_ Luke added in a growl.

I bit my lip and tensed the muscles in my legs, settling into a crouch. I could feel Luke's eyes on me, waiting for me to jump, so I did.

My jump took me to the spot in front of the deer and I opened my mouth, waiting for my teeth to start changing. I could sense the deer's fear and almost closed my mouth until Luke growled loudly, reminding me of what I was. What we were.

In less than a second, my teeth were a bit sharper, a bit longer. The sunlight glinted off of them and my teal-coloured eyes flashed as I felt my other side rising to the surface. The deer's tantalizing scent reached my nostrils and the smell made me groan. I couldn't hold it off for much longer. I needed to hunt.

Ignoring Luke, who was using our mental connection to give me advice on "bagging the prey" as he put it, I bent my head and bit the deer.

The fresh, crimson blood flowed into my mouth, and felt good as it slid down my parched throat. I sucked vigorously until there was no more left in the unmoving carcass in my hands.

_See, it wasn't that bad,_ Luke said in an attempt to cheer me up.

I felt the strength in my body return to normal, so I rose from my crouch slowly. "I just killed a harmless animal Luke," I hissed.

I felt Luke flinch mentally. He withdrew quietly from my head, and I was alone in my thoughts. I dropped the dead body. "I'm sorry," I muttered.

In an instant, Luke was by my side, his 'normal' teeth flashing like diamonds as he grinned at me. "I forgive you." With that, we sprinted through the woods and made it back home in just a few minutes. It would've taken the average human at least an hour to travel that distance. But of course, we weren't human.

Walking into the familiar mansion that I called home, I could hear my two older brothers playing video games in the living room. Luke ran in to join them.

"Thanks Luke," I muttered. I heard a chuckle from the living room.

"Michelle, how was the hunting trip?" I turned to see my 'mother', Elizabeth, by my side, a smile on her pretty face.

"It was fine," I replied, smiling only to reassure her that I hadn't gone all psycho. It seemed to work.

Elizabeth had been a beauty long before becoming… what she is. She has lustrous chestnut hair that falls down her back in curls. Her body is small and curvy, and is envied among her human friends. Like the rest of us Careys, she has piercing blue eyes. When she's strong, at least.

"You two are back." My 'father' descended the staircase, his face warm despite the eyes. Our eyes rarely ever looked anything but frightening. "That's good. We were just about to leave." Matthew Carey's smile turned apologetic as he said this.

I smiled anyway. "That's fine Dad. I'll just rent a movie or something. Maybe hit some shops. School's tomorrow and I guess I should get some new clothes or something." Another thing that sucks about being an immortal teenager: repeating school over and over.

Matthew nodded and whipped out his credit card. "Here," he said, handing it to me, even though I already had my own. I took it anyway, to make him feel better about the hunting trip.

"Thanks," I murmured.

My three brothers were suddenly at my side, identical grins on their pale, beautiful faces. "Are we leaving now?" William, my oldest brother, asked eagerly.

Matthew nodded. "Alright then, let's go!" Thomas, my second oldest brother, urged, his face alight with anticipation. They were all thirsty and I knew it just by looking at their almost-emerald eyes.

Luke was more considerate. "Bye sis," he murmured, giving me a hug. I hugged my favourite brother back, and in a split second, my family was gone, their mental farewells ringing in my head.

The stores here in Carlton, Oregon, all shared the same thing- they were small and overpriced.

Even though money was no object for my family, $60 for a plain sweater was a bit too much.

As I entered one of the more popular boutiques, I saw a group of girls giggling over the 'cute' cashier. They stopped when I walked in, just so they could shoot me some dirty looks.

I knew them from school. They were the more popular- yet mean- girls.

Their leader, a girl named Lindsay Banks, muttered 'freak' under her breath as I passed them. I smirked. They were all emanating jealousy, and I could feel it, so I ignored her.

I picked out some nice stuff and was out of the boutique in less than fifteen minutes. I didn't need to try anything on; my size would never change. I paid with Matthew's credit card; he would be happy.

It had only been about half an hour since the rest of my family had left, so I wasn't looking forward to the hour or so I had to waste. This is one of those times when I would give everything to be human again.

It was a nice night, so I had decided to walk instead of taking my Lamborghini. Of course, the fact that none of us saved a lot of money, so we could afford such luxuries. It also helped that both of my parents had had high-paying jobs in the different places we'd moved to. They'd been collecting money for quite some time now.

Vampires having normal, completely human jobs. It was a strange thought. A lot of our kind did it though, so it wasn't exactly uncommon. We all missed the human lives we didn't have, so we tried our best to replicate them during our extended lives.

But me… I'm an Immortal.

I passed by a group of my fellow Yamhill-Carlton Tigers. They seemed to be excited by the fact that school was starting again tomorrow, something that I didn't share with them.

When you've been alive for the past forty-five years and you're still attending high school, it tends to get a bit old. I already know everything that my teachers have to teach me and more.

_One more year…___This thought was quite comforting.

Luke and I are posing as seniors this year, and after we graduate, the entire family will be leaving Carlton. Will and Tom already 'graduated'. Now the spotlight's on Luke and I.

I wondered where we'd go next. Places with a lot of sun would be out of the question. I'd always wanted to live in Manhattan.

"Yo, Carey!"

I turned to see a few of the jocks from my school waving me over. Of course, the male population at Yamhill-Carlton didn't think I was a freak. Their thoughts did get a little 18A sometimes. It was a bit annoying, and Luke didn't respond too nicely when I told him what they were thinking.

"C'mon, Carey! We're going for a spin, wanna tag along?" Ian Stevens is the Yamhill-Carlton quarterback, and amazingly handsome- to humans. To me he was just another insignificant human.

I shook my head and shot him a smile. "No thanks."

His eyes widened. I didn't bother reading his thoughts- the lust emanating from him was enough to tell me what he was hiding in his head. And his pants.

I continued walking until I found a secluded area where I could finally be myself. Looking around, I saw no one there, so I closed my eyes and disappeared without a trace.

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it. ^^**


	3. Chapter 2: Tyler

High school. Definition: Four years of hell.

The first day at a new high school is worse than being eaten alive by sharks. Seriously. It's that bad. And I've seen 'Jaws'.

"Tyler, hurry, you're going to be late!" my mom called to me from downstairs. She was probably in the kitchen, making me a ridiculously large breakfast. Mom felt guilty about moving us, especially the summer before my senior year, and she cooked a lot when she felt guilty.

I took one last glance at myself in the mirror and saw what I did every morning: a tall boy with messy jet-black hair, copper-coloured skin, hazel eyes, and a frown on his face.

But I usually don't frown. This is a special occasion.

When I smile, people tell me all sorts of weird things, like how my teeth outshine diamonds.

"Tyler, breakfast is ready!" Mom called again. She sounded a bit nervous, but I don't get why. She's not the one that has to face a new high school for the third time in four years. Although this is the first time she's been the one to make the decision. We usually move because of my dad's job. But he's gone…

I grabbed my backpack off the floor and slung it over one of my shoulders. Taking one last glance at my almost-empty room, I left the bathroom and headed downstairs.

Mom was in the kitchen, her auburn hair piled up on top of her head neatly. She was plopping pancakes, bacon, and eggs onto my plate. Guilt food. Great.

"Morning," I greeted her. She smiled at me briefly, and then turned back to my fattening breakfast. I watched her with a perplexed expression on my face.

When she was done, she handed me the heaping plate of food and looked at me. "Eat," she commanded.

Obediently, I dug my fork into the pancakes and cut with my knife. I chewed in silence and mom continued to bustle around the kitchen, tidying things that were already in perfect order.

I managed to scarf down the food, and said a hasty goodbye to Mom. I grabbed my backpack and my car keys and rushed out the door.

Seeing my familiar black BMW (my 16th birthday present) was a comfort, and I busied myself with getting into the car so I wouldn't have to look at my mom. I saw her waving frantically out of the corner of my eye.

I pulled out of the driveway cautiously and waved to Mom before speeding down the street.

Carlton, Oregon, is a small place, with a population of less than 2 000. It's a pretty big change from my old home back in California.

As I drove past the farms and trees, I found myself thinking of my sister, Angela, and how she would've loved Carlton.

_If only she weren't dead,_ my pessimistic side reminded me, and my chest tightened.

Angela, my loving, cheerful, amazing older sister, had died in a car accident almost a year ago, along with my dad, who had been the driver. Mom had yet to forgive him for driving after having a few drinks.

Before I knew it, I was approaching the small building that was Yamhill-Carlton Union High School, home of the tigers. The student parking lot wasn't hard to find, so I pulled into it and found a parking spot, marvelling at all the rusty, old, and dented cars. Typical for a small place like Carlton.

Then, I heard a roar- no, more like a purr- as two flashy cars, a silver Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 and a blue Maserati GranTurismo tore into the parking lot.

"Wow," I murmured. Pretty impressive for a place like Carlton. Then again, these cars probably would've stood out at my old school too. Porsches, BMWs, and Mercedes littered the parking lots back at my old school, but I've never seen cars like these. These two cars must've cost a fortune.

I got out of my car and watched the two cars. A raven-haired girl was getting out of the Lamborghini. She turned in my direction and my eyes grew wide. The girl was beautiful.

See, I don't usually call girls 'beautiful'. I usually go as far as 'hot'. I'm not a jerk face like other guys who only judge on looks and are dismissive of how girls appear; I just haven't met a girl who was 'beautiful' to me. But this girl… was way more than just hot.

She had midnight-black hair that cascaded down her back in perfect waves. Her skin was ivory-coloured, and the contrast of her skin against her dark hair only made her look even more striking. I doubted that kind of look would work with other girls.

She had an amazing figure, and her skin-tight shirt only accentuated her… very well-endowed chest. Ahem.

But the most amazing part about her was her eyes. They were a clear, sapphire-like blue, large and framed by long, thick lashes. When she turned her gaze on me, I could see that her eyes were icy but attracting at the same time.

"Ah, Mr. and Miss Carey." I turned to see a tall, strict-looking man heading quickly towards the girl and her companion, a tall, dark-haired boy who had just gotten out of the Maserati. He seemed to be garnering a lot of attention from the female students who had gathered loosely around the two luxury vehicles.

"Racing again, are we?" the man asked. I squinted at him and then realized that he was the principal at Carlton.

"Sorry Mr. Langley," the boy apologized, smiling inconspicuously at the girl.

The girl's perfectly-shaped lips twitched in the corners as she fought her own smile.

"It won't happen again," Maserati-boy promised.

Mr. Langley regarded the two for a moment before nodding. He turned on his heel, barking at the students standing around to get to class. They scattered and he smiled, seeming satisfied. He headed back towards the school.

The boy muttered something to the girl and they locked their cars while heading for the school. I followed their lead, already feeling better about Yamhill-Carlton Union High School.

"Tyler Sinclair?"

I nodded impatiently as my homeroom teacher read over my note from the office for about the fifth time. Everyone was staring at me, and it was getting a bit uncomfortable.

Finally, the teacher seemed to realize that I was still standing there and got up. "Everyone," he began, "this is our new student, Tyler Sinclair. Please do your best to make him feel welcome here."

I cringed when his words were met by a dead silence. Mr. Falton seemed to notice this too, because he opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a voice coming from the back.

"I'll show him around," the voice said.

My eyes searched for the speaker and I was surprised to see that it was the dark-haired boy from this morning- the owner of the blue Maserati- who had interrupted.

Mr. Falton's eyes narrowed as he followed my gaze. "Mr. Carey. You will show Mr. Sinclair here around for the following week?" he challenged.

I expected 'Mr. Carey' to hesitate at this, since I doubted he'd been volunteering to be a tour guide for a whole week, but he didn't. "Sure," the boy said without missing a beat.

Mr. Falton processed this in his head before giving 'Mr. Carey' a wary look. "Alright. Mr. Sinclair, you can take the empty seat next to Mr. Carey. He will show you around Yamhill-Carlton," he said to me.

I stared at my white Nike sneakers as I made my way to the back of the room where my tour guide was seated. I slipped into my seat silently and dropped my books on the desk that was now mine. Mr. Falton started talking about Shakespare or something like that, but I tuned him out.

"Hey."

I turned to face my new tour guide- but not really look at him; I stared at the Lacoste sign on his polo-, who had just spoken to me. "My name's Luke," he continued.

"Tyler. Um, nice to meet you," I mumbled, not knowing what else I could say. Instantly, I felt stupid.

Luke grinned and I realized that my teeth had some serious competition. "You too dude, he said. I looked up at his face and almost jumped. He had the exact same eyes as the raven-haired girl.

They glinted at me, just like sapphires- like I'd thought about the girl-, almost winking at me as if to say 'I know something you don't know'. I was right again about the fact that their eyes were icy and frightening, but also hypnotizing at the same time. I couldn't look away.

"Mr. Sinclair?"

I glanced up to see Mr. Falton looking at me expectantly. I realized quickly that he'd just asked me a question.

"The answer's 1616," Luke muttered, loud enough so that I could hear, but quiet enough so that no one else could.

"Um, 1616?" I said hopefully. I had no clue what Mr. Falton had been talking about, but Luke's answer was better than nothing.

Mr. Falton gave me a strange look. "Correct," he said, "William Shakespeare died in 1616." It was almost as if he knew I had no clue what I was talking about, and he was telling me exactly what it was. Then, he continued with the lesson, and I relaxed in my seat.

I paid attention for the rest of the class.

As I walked out of Mr. Falton's classroom, I found myself dreading lunch. I would obviously be sitting alone.

"Hey, Tyler, wait up!"

I turned to see Luke coming up beside me, his dark hair flopping into his sapphire eyes. They looked brighter out here, in the nicely-lit hallway, even more frightening and appealing. I wondered if I was turning gay…

"Would you like to sit with my sister and I during lunch?" Luke asked, running a hand through his hair, pushing the strands that had fallen in his eyes out of his way.

I realized that we had stopped walking, and side-stepped to avoid a large group of giggling freshmen girls. "Sure," I said gratefully. At least I had two people to sit with now.

Luke nodded and rushed off as the warning bell rang, shooting me a grin over his shoulder. I wandered off to my next class, dodging the stampede of students charging through the hallways. As I dawdled, I wondered if the raven-haired girl was Luke's sister.

My next class was P.E., so I found the boys' changing room, which would most likely lead me to the gym. The blue and white gym uniform was too big, but I had to wear it.

The other senior boys were mostly already dressed, laughing and joking, by the time I arrived. They paid me no mind as I changed.

"Let's go men, I'm not getting any younger!" the P.E. teacher, Coach Stark, hollered at us when he opened the changing room door. The other boys snickered, but filed out of the changing room.

Coach Stark fixed me with a beady glare as I shuffled along behind a burly senior boy. "You're tall. Are you any good at basketball?" he barked.

I actually was pretty good, but I didn't really want to be on the basketball team, no matter how far away the event loomed, so I shook my head. Coach Stark grimaced, but let it go.

The gym at Yamhill-Carlton is pretty small, but then again, almost everything in Carlton is.

I stood amongst the other boys, not really sure what we were doing. Then, I spotted my tour guide/Maserati owner/saviour. He grinned at me and beckoned me over.

I headed over to where he was stretching, despite the dirty looks Luke was receiving. "So… you seem pretty popular here," I said.

Luke chuckled, seeming unfazed by the glares. "Almost every single male student here hates my guts," he informed me cheerfully, proving my assumption. Luke simply did not care.

"Ah, finally, the ladies have decided to join us!" Coach Stark announced sarcastically as the girls scurried out of their changing room, looking flustered.

I regarded each of them. I noticed some girls with pretty blue eyes, but none as brilliant as Luke and his possible sister.

Then, she stepped out of the changing room, her eyes even more gorgeous then I'd remembered. My heart started beating faster.

Coach Stark blew his whistle loudly. "Alright people! For those of you who don't know yet, you may call me Coach Stark. Now, we're going to start off with a game of dodge ball elimination, girls against boys. GO!" Coach Stark took a breath and blew his whistle again.

I jogged over towards the boys' side and Coach Stark threw our side two balls, as well as the girls' side. I watched the girl catch one neatly. Coach Stark blew the whistle and we began throwing.

One by one, the balls caught us all except for Luke and the girl, who were still at it. She would throw a ball with incredible speed, but Luke would dodge it. Then, he would do the same.

This went on and on, but the two never tired, their bodies twisting to avoid the balls as easily as breathing. Eventually, Coach Stark got bored of it, so he blew his whistle.

"Alright now you two Careys. Cut it out. We all know your physiques are far greater than the lazy bags of lard here." He waved his hand at all of us watching on the sidelines, and we grimaced.

The two stopped and Luke let out a laugh. "Nice game sis," he called in a friendly tone.

So they were related. She was Luke's sister. For some reason, this fact excited me.

She grinned at him and winked. "You were about to lose and you know it," she teased. Wow, does having amazing teeth run in their family?

The rest of P.E. passed in a similar fashion, with the two Careys outdoing everyone in everything. It was unnatural.

By the time P.E. was done, I was sweaty and tired, not exactly welcoming Coach's announcement that 'this P.E. class was to see exactly how out of shape you all are. Next class will be MUCH harder. Believe me'.

I changed quickly and looked for Luke in the changing room, but he wasn't there.


	4. Chapter 3: Michelle

I was looking forward to meeting Luke's friend, Tyler. We Careys hardly ever make human friends because of what we are. We keep to ourselves.

Carrying my lunch tray, I scanned the tiny cafeteria for Luke, and found him sitting at the back with a dark-haired boy whom I took to be Tyler. They seemed to be having an interesting conversation. I walked towards them, tuning in to their words.

"… amazing car. It really is." I smiled. Luke was talking about his cherished Maserati.

I reached the table and set my tray down. The two boys looked up instantly. "I bet my Lamborghini can crush your Maserati," I declared, sitting down across from the two.

Luke scowled at me. "Can not. My Maserati would kill your pathetic Murciélago," Luke said indignantly. I laughed. Luke always got touchy when I taunted him about his car's speed.

"I think both of your cars are pretty amazing," Tyler offered. I liked him immediately; a happy feeling emanated from him that was comforting and contagious.

Tyler dug his fork in his lasagna and I took that as an opportunity to study him.

Tyler was muscular; that was evident from taking a cursory look at his arms. He had a mop of black hair that was shaggy and uncombed this morning. It fell into his amazingly warm hazel eyes as he ate. His skin was a light-copper that looked soft and smooth. I watched him laugh at one of Luke's jokes and almost started giggling myself. Tyler's teeth could've passed for a set of ours. They were just as white and straight as any Vampire's.

"So, Tyler, if you aren't busy, how about coming over to our place?" Luke asked Tyler.

I could only give Luke a stricken look. What in hell was he thinking?

Tyler looked up from his food and grinned. "Sure. That'd be great."

Luke nodded and winked at me so quickly that I'm positive no human in the cafeteria caught it.

I screamed at Luke with my mind._ What the _hell_ are you doing? This is the most stupid thing you've ever done, and you've done quite a bit of mindless crap over the years!_

Luke smirked at me across the table._ Let's do some stupid shit… _He sang quietly in his head, only stopping when I kicked him. _Calm down. It'll be fine. Don't you miss having friends?_ He asked on a more serious note.

I was furious. _Of course I miss having friends, but is risking someone's life really worth that? _I demanded.

Luke just kept on smiling. _You worry too much. Besides, if any of us loses control, you or Matthew could knock us out with your super powers,_ he said, his mental voice sounding extremely smug.

I had to muster all my strength to stop myself from glaring at him. Someone would notice if I started giving my brother the Death Glare for no apparent reason. _You're damn right we will, _I growled.

Luke's grin widened and he fought to keep from laughing. _I know you'll keep your word sis, _he said, amused.

I bent my head, letting my hair hide my face. Luke was seriously pissing me off. _Calm down,_ I ordered myself.

"So Michelle, who do you have for homeroom?" Luke asked me casually.

I pushed back my curtains of hair to look at him. "Mrs. Gallend," I replied in a pleasant tone. "What about you?"

Tyler looked at me then, his smile warm and soothing. All feelings of anger towards Luke disappeared in that one smile. "I didn't know your name before. It's nice to know," he stated. His eyes stared into mine, something most humans don't have the nerve to do, mostly because Luke uses his ability to… push them away.

I smiled at Tyler. "So, who do you have?" I asked.

Tyler smiled ruefully and ran his hand through his hair. "Same as Luke. Mr. Falton."

I laughed. "He has some strange obsession with Shakespeare, that man." I shook my head with a chuckle.

Tyler and Luke laughed with me. "That he does," Luke said with a grin.

We finished our lunches in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

Luke felt it too. For once, we were at ease with a human.

_Did you call Mom and Dad? What about Tom and Will?_ _They've already hunted right?_ I interrogated Luke with my mind.

Luke sounded annoyed when he answered. _Michelle, we hunted yesterday remember? And, yes, I called everyone. They'll retract their fangs._

_Wow Luke, that was funny, _I muttered. I tried to focus on driving carefully and not the driver in the black BMW behind me.

_It's going to be fine. Don't you think Tyler's cool?_ Luke asked, his voice softer now.

I didn't bother answering, knowing that my thoughts would be harsh. Sure, I liked Tyler. That was precisely why I didn't want him in a house full of blood-drinking creatures. Not when I could sense how pure his blood was. If I could sense it, then so would Matthew. No doubt he would feel the urge to hunt; the same urge I was fighting at this very moment.

I checked in my rear-view mirror and saw Tyler's BMW still trailing me. He looked a bit nervous. I giggled. He had every right to feel uneasy. I once again suppressed my other side. This time was a bit harder.

Soon enough, I saw the huge Carey mansion looming up ahead. If my heart could beat, it would be going crazy right now as I worried for Tyler's life.

I pulled into our massive driveway and saw that Luke's Maserati was already there. I got out, slinging my bag over my shoulder and leaned against my Lamborghini to wait for Tyler.

He drove into the driveway and got out slowly. I could see that he was impressed. "Wow," he managed to get out.

I smiled. "C'mon. Everyone's waiting." We made our way up the concrete steps and the door was yanked open to reveal Tom's grinning face.

I rolled my eyes. "Tom, are you trying to scare Tyler away with your ugly face?" I said, pushing him out of the way.

"Hey Tyler, what's up? I'm Tom. Don't mind my sister. She's just jealous 'cause she's not beautiful like me," Tom said grinning.

The two bys chuckled so I stalked off to the living room.

"Mitch, I'm kidding!" Tom called in an amused tome. I heard the two of them following me, Tom deliberately making his footsteps heavier and louder to match Tyler's.

"How was school?" Will asked me as I walked in on him playing Halo 3.

I flopped onto the couch next to him with a sigh. "Boring, as usual. I got Gallend for Homeroom though, so it's not all bad." See? Two Vampires having a perfectly normal, human conversation.

Tom entered the living room with Tyler following meekly behind him. "Where's Luke?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

"I'm coming," Luke called from upstairs. Tyler sat on my other side, his attention turned to Will, who was still playing. How rude.

"What's up Tyler? I'm Will. Nice to meet you. It's also nice to see that my two loser siblings have friends." Will said all this while completely focused on beating the level he was on.

"Nice to meet you too. So, where are your parents?" Tyler asked, turning to me.

"Right here!" Elizabeth announced, floating into the room. Well, not literally, we're not that stupid. She just entered very gracefully.

I saw that Elizabeth was wearing a plain t-shirt with jeans. She looked stunning.

Tyler stood up quickly, looking self-conscious, his arm extended. "Hi. I'm Tyler Sinclair."

Elizabeth smiled demurely and shook his hand. "Hello Tyler. I'm Mrs. Carey. It's nice to see that you're getting along with my children."

I would've blushed if I could. Elizabeth was acting almost territorial. Well, it was to be expected. Being territorial and defensive was in our natures.

"Okay guys, I brought some games," Luke said as he hurtled down the stairs, a bunch of video games in his arms. He walked into the living room and placed the games on the ground. Tyler regarded them with joy in his eyes. Boys. So typical.

"Wow, you guys have a lot of stuff," Tyler murmured, taking in everything in our living room as if for the first time. His eyes lingered on the plasma screen, the gigantic sound system next to it, the Wii and PlayStation 3, and the table of iPods we didn't use anymore on the other side of the plasma.

"Dude, forget video games, let's go for a ride," Tom exclaimed, his face excited. Once he became set on doing something, we almost always ended up doing it. But racing was something my brothers and I all loved to do.

Tyler grinned. "Sweet!" he cheered. "So what do you guys drive?" he asked Tom and Will. Elizabeth slipped out quietly with an apologetic smile for me.

I groaned. Once my brothers got started on their cars, there was no stopping them. "Guys, let's just go," I said impatiently.

Will chuckled and mock-punched Tyler on the arm. I saw Tyler wince a little as Will's rock hard, ice cold fist connected with his bare skin.

"Tyler, where's your sweater?" Luke asked, as if he'd heard what I was thinking. Or maybe he had.

Tyler shrugged. "I left it in my car. It's not that cold." But it was cold. Just not to us.

"Alright, we'll just show Tyler our cars right now. C'mon," Tom said, getting up and heading for our garage.

Tyler looked excited as he followed Tom. Luke, Will, and I trailed behind them.

Tom opened the door to our spacious garage. Well, it was full now, but was spacious when empty.

Tyler's eyes widened noticeably and his mouth opened slightly. "Oh my God," he managed to choke out.

Will grinned. "We had to get the garage remodelled twice to fit all the cars," he informed Tyler.

"Oh my God," Tyler said again. He gazed at the cars with unmistakable lust in his eyes. Fabulous. The boy gets hard for cars.

He marvelled at the black Porsche Cayenne, the red Ferrari 430 Scuderia, the black Jaguar XK8, the white BMW Z4, and the pearl-gray Audi R8 Spider. Add all of that with my Lamborghini and Luke's Maserati, and our garage is officially car heaven.

"So, there's one car for everyone in your family?" Tyler asked, still in shock. He turned to look at us.

"Yup. Lamborghini's mine, the Maserati is Luke's, the R8 is Will's, the Ferrari is Tom's, the Jaguar belongs to our dad, and my mom drives the BMW," I replied with a little smile. "The Porsche is just an extra."

"Which one do you want?" Luke asked Tyler, his impatience obvious only to Will, Tom, and me.

"No way! You mean I get to drive one of these?" Tyler said, his expression giving me the impression that he was almost ready to start jumping with glee.

Will chuckled. "Yeah, go ahead. Any one you want." _Which one do you think he's going to pick?_ He asked me.

_I'll bet the Ferrari_, I returned. _Either that or my Lamborghini._ I smirked. _Your Audi sucks._

Will waited until Tyler turned back to the cars before reaching out to smack me. I stopped his arm and twisted it. "Watch it," I hissed. Will chuckled.

"Um, can I take the Ferrari?" Tyler asked Tom tentatively. He was a bit nervous. I tried to grasp at what he was thinking.

_What if… crash… hundreds of thousands… _I only got scraps of his thoughts.

Tom took the keys to the Ferrari out of his pocket, said, "Catch," and tossed them to Tyler.

Tyler caught them- surprising for a human- and grinned. "Thanks. So, where are we going?"

Luke glanced at us before speaking. "Let's race around town," he suggested.

"C'mon, let's go," Will said, and we all stepped in to the garage.

Tyler studied the keys Tom had given him and then pressed a button. The Ferrari beeped twice. Tyler's face was one of a little boy on Christmas morning. "Sick," he commented, striding towards the car he had chosen.

I unlocked my Lamborghini and pressed a button to open the doors. I could hear them lifting up from inside the house. Luke and Will unlocked their cars as well. Tom was searching through a box in the corner of the garage, finally pulling out a set of keys so he could unlock the Porsche.

Tyler waited for us to get in our cars before getting in the Ferrari. Luke and I headed outside to get in ours, since we'd parked in the driveway.

_I've got the door,_ I told my brothers, stretching the strength of my mental connection to surround all three of their minds.

I pressed a button to open the garage door and the three boys in the garage backed out slowly. Luke and I moved to make room for them.

_This should be fun, _Luke commented.

_I hope he knows how to drive, _Tom said to me, slightly amused. He wasn't worried about the car though. If Tyler crashed, the important thing was getting him out safely. We could always get a new car for Tom.

_Don't worry Mitch, _Will said, seeming to have sensed my anxiety. _You can use your abilities to help him stop it if he loses control. Just stay close to him, _he advised. It was uncanny how everyone in my family seemed to know each other so well.

_And we're off, _Luke murmured when everyone was outside. I closed the garage door and backed completely out of the driveway, Luke right behind me.

_We're off,_ I agreed, and I took off down the quiet road ahead.


	5. Chapter 4: Tyler

"Mom? I'm home," I called, entering our new house.

I slipped off my shoes and ran up the stairs, two steps at a time.

"Tyler?" Mom came out of her room, her pink bathroom wrapped around her skinny frame, and her hazel eyes- the exact same as my eyes- were bloodshot and glistening. "Hi honey. I'll call for pizza." She smiled faintly but I knew that she'd been crying over Dad and Angela.

"Okay. I'll go finish my homework," I said, giving Mom a hug. She kissed me on my forehead (I had to lean down) and then headed down the stairs.

When I was back in my room, I thought I would feel better, since I was distancing myself from my mother and her sorrow, but depression clung to me. I figured homework would cure that, so I took my books out and blitzed through it. By the time I was done, the pizza was here.

I washed my hands and hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, where I was greeted by the smell of pepperoni-and-cheese pizza. "Smells good Mom. If only your cooking was half as good." I flashed her a grin.

She looked up at me and smiled, but there wasn't much joy behind it. "Here," she said, handing me a plate.

I grabbed a slice, put it on my plate, and sat down at the table. "So how was your day?" I asked.

Mom joined me at the table with her food. "It was great. The kids are fantastic." Mom's a teacher at Carlton Elementary. She's teaching second-graders.

I bit off a chunk of my pizza and chewed thoughtfully. After I swallowed, I started talking again. "Cool. Are the teachers chillin' there?" Another grin.

Mom laughed. "Tyler, they're my colleagues. And yes, they're 'chilling' as you put it. So, how was your day?"

I grinned as memories from the Carey house flooded my mind. "It was amazing. Luke and his family are cool, but I haven't met his dad."

"You mean the people you went home with after school today?" Mom asked. She nibbled delicately at her pizza.

"Yeah. They have _seven_ cars in their garage. And they're all amazing ones too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Mom had a semi-interest in cars.

"A whole bunch. They have a Porsche, a Maserati, a BMW Z4, Ferrari, Audi R8 Spider, Jaguar, and a Lamborghini. I tried out the Ferrari and it was amazing." I realized during my gushing that my vocabulary was pretty limited at the moment. It seemed that the only descriptive word I could think of was 'amazing'.

"Wow." Mom seemed impressed. Those cars would impress almost anyone though.

"Yeah, I know. And you should see their house. Inside and out. It's huge. They've got, like, a winding staircase, everyone entertainment system you could think of, and it's _huge._ The garage too. And they even have one of those, like, curvy driveways. The ones that are shaped like a protractor."

"Wow," Mom said again. "Since they had you over, maybe we could invite them over for dinner sometime."

I mulled over that idea briefly. "Yeah. That'd be nice. But we would need a few more chairs."

"How many people are in their family?" Mom asked.

I counted quickly in my head. "Six."

"Well, we can bring two chairs from the kitchen into the dining room."

"Yeah. Sure. How about Saturday?"

"That would be fine."

We finished our pizza in silence.

* * * * *

During lunch the next day, I got to know Michelle a bit better since Luke wasn't at school.

"So, you and Luke are the youngest in the family?" I asked, digging my fork in my mashed potatoes.

Michelle nodded. She didn't have any food in front of her, claiming that she wasn't hungry. "Well, technically, Luke's older by three weeks."

I nodded slowly, digesting this information better than I was digesting my mashed potatoes. If Luke was her real brother, there was no way he could only be three weeks older than her. It was impossible unless he was her half-brother. That would mean that her dad had knocked some other chick up about three weeks before he knocked her mom up.

She smiled slightly. "None of us are actually related. My parents were friends with my biological ones, and when my real parents abandoned me, Matthew and Elizabeth took me in," she said, as if she'd read my mind.

That made much more sense. "Oh, okay. That makes sense now."

She giggled and I felt stupid. "I'm really surprised that you haven't already heard this. New kids almost always get the 'exclusive look into the Careys' life' tour on the first day."

"Huh." The only things I'd figured out about the Careys were that they kept to themselves and that the members of the same gender disliked them. The opposite however, was a completely different story.

I glanced at Michelle and realized that I really wanted her to come over for dinner. More her than the rest of her family.

"So, my mom was wondering if you and your family wanted to come over for dinner Saturday night," I said casually.

"Umm, sure, what time?"

"About seven."

She smiled at me and my heart did some weird thing in my chest. It was almost like it was beating faster for some reason. Strange. "Sure, we'll be there," she said with a dimpled smile.

A rush of giddiness washed over me when she said that, making me feel more of an idiot. But I didn't care. She was coming.

* * * * *

Saturday came quickly, and I had one hour to find something suitable to wear. I felt like such a girl.

"Mom, I need your help!" I called, staring in dismay at my closet. It was full of t-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. I need something nicer than that.

"You called?" Mom poked her head in my room. Her hair was down and looked really nice.

"Yeah. I need something better than this," I explained, motioning towards my closet.

She smiled knowingly and nodded. "You want to impress someone. I have the perfect thing." With that, she disappeared.

"Mom, no, it's not like that," I called after her, but she was already gone. "Great," I muttered. I didn't want her to get the idea that I was trying to 'impress' someone.

In a few minutes, Mom was back. "Here," she said, thrusting a light-blue button-down shirt at me. "You can pair that with a pair of darker-coloured jeans.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively.

Mom left so I could change, and I did so quickly. When I was presentable enough, I headed downstairs to help Mom with the food.

"Wow, that smells good," I commented when I entered the kitchen, making sure my mom heard the awe in my voice.

She did.

Mom set a pile of our best plates on the table. I'm pretty sure they were a wedding gift from someone. "Can you take these into the dining room please? Be careful with them."

"Sure." I whisked the plate off to the dining room and placed them on the table, making sure they were in the center so they wouldn't fall off.

I rushed back to the kitchen and grabbed a bunch of forks and knives. I went back to the dining room and set the table quickly. "Alright, everything's ready," I announced when I went back to the kitchen.

Mom looked up. "Okay. You look nice, hon." She took off her apron and I raised my eyebrows.

"Wow Mom. You're a chick!"

She slapped me playfully on the arm with a chuckle. "Tyler," she said warningly, but with an amused smile.

She was wearing a black dress that went down to her knees. It had broad straps and a nice V-neck that was a bit riskier than the dresses my mom usually wore. The waistline was dropped and fit her perfectly. Not that, you know, I would _know_ anything about dresses. I still believe I'm straight.

"Thanks though," she said, pulling me back from my speculations about my sexuality.

"Now, it's almost time for the Careys to arrive."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Mom smiled at me with a glint in her eyes. "Tyler, get the door. Maybe it's Michelle."

I instantly regretted telling Mom Michelle's name, and asking her for help with picking a nice shirt. Now she thought I had a thing for Michelle. Did I? I rolled my eyes and went to get the door.

I pulled it out of the way, hoping that it was Michelle. My face fell when I saw it was Luke. "Hey dude, where's the rest of your family?" I asked.

Luke grinned and looked behind his shoulder. "Back there. At least Tom and Will are. My parents are coming a bit later and so is Michelle."

I brightened when he said her name. So she was still coming. "Come on in."

Luke stepped inside and took off his jacket. I took it and hung it on the coat rack. "Nice," he said politely, glancing around our house. I closed the door behind him.

"Thanks." It was nowhere near as nice or spacious as the Carey house though.

"Oh, hello! You must be…" Mom trailed off, glancing at me for help.

"I'm Luke. And you must be Mrs. Sinclair?" Luke offered, flashing his perfect teeth at her.

"That's right. It's nice to meet you Luke." Mom ushered him into the living room.

"Oh, Tom and Will are coming," I said, putting more emphasis on their names and shooting Mom a meaningful look.

The doorbell rang again and I opened the door for Tom and Will. "Hey guys. C'mon in."

"Nice house," Tom said grinning. He shrugged off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. Will followed his example, and I, being the gracious host, hung up their jackets.

I led them to the living room where Luke was lounging. He seemed to be having a nice conversation with Mom. "Oh, hi guys," Luke greeted us when we walked in.

Mom welcomed the two boys- she got their names right, fortunately- and they sat down next to Luke. "I'll go get the appetizers," she said, getting up.

I sat down on the other side of Luke. "I hope you guys like mashed potatoes. My mom made at least three bowls of them," I said.

To exchanged glances with Will and Luke. "Yeah, mashed potatoes are awesome," he said finally, in a tone I couldn't decipher.

The doorbell rang again and Mom called to me from the kitchen. "Tyler honey, get that please, would you? I'm a bit busy."

I got up and started for the door. I opened it, expecting Mr. and Mrs. Carey to be standing in front of me, so I got a nice surprise when I saw who it was. "Wow," was all I could manage.


End file.
